The long-term effects of this “self-esteem first” approach to teaching reached our colleges several years ago, and it wasn’t pretty. The students were conditioned to expect good marks and smiley faces for whatever kind of junk they turned in; not to mention a lot of leeway as to when they could turn them in, and the option of “make-up” work in place of that which was required. Many students dropped classes, when they learned their survival skills weren’t up to par.

We cheapened the meaning of “self-esteem” and robbed the term of all value, just as we have robbed the terms “hero” and “awesome” of any real meaning.

When I was in college, I once received the “Unsung Hero” award from the theater department for all of my work backstage to keep things running smoothly. This was the highest honor one could receive in the theater department. As I recall, the show that earned me the award was one where I was the props mistress, and the person presenting it waxed eloquent about my abilities to keep the props in order and get the actors what they needed. I smiled and thanked everyone, but those who knew me well could tell that I was not happy. They cornered me later and asked why.

“Because,” I clearly remember saying, “it is not right to receive an award – especially this award – for just doing my job.”

They tried to explain that it was exactly that reason for which I got the award, tried to convince me that I deserved it, tried not to become frustrated at what must have seemed an irrational reaction to them. I was only able to articulate that I was simply doing my job; I actually had not done anything outside of the description they presented to me when I asked what a props mistress was supposed to do. Implied in that was that my work was on a piece of fluff to entertain, not a life-saving or altering task, although I doubt that I even really understood that consciously at the time.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was when I called such an award “dangerous” because when you reward ordinary effort that should be expected with a high honor you cheapen the honor, cheapen the effort itself, and inflate the ego of the worker. That person may never put forth such a normal effort again unless there is a reward in it for him. At that pronouncement, they gave up in disgust and went inside to party and celebrate. I stayed outside looking at the stars and wondering just how to get it across to others what I was trying to say.

I do not blame them for being irritated. They thought that they were doing a nice things for a person that they respected for her abilities and I acted like they had given me a terminal illness. If I were still in contact with any of them, I would send them this post. It says clearly and compellingly what I was unable to say then and might help them to understand what the word “hero” should really mean.

On another topic, thanks for visiting and commenting. Whatever I publish at my blog is up for grabs or it shouldn’t be there. You are more than welcome to quote me. If I say something and it gets misused it is my fault for not having made myself better understood. Similar to a rule I made up that “poor management is its own punishment.”